INFJ: Empathy Is My Superpower

Empathy is often seen as a weakness, even for the INFJ personality. The main reason why is because many believe that feeling and caring too much for others is a waste of time. The modern world constantly screams at us to completely disregard emotions and concern. However, for an INFJ, empathy is everything, even if it’s draining.

How can caring be overwhelming?

The reason is simple to explain, but difficult to accept. When you’re expressing a never-ending concern for someone, your INF mind is always on alert. All your senses are on edge, and you’re thinking without pause.

In addition, INFJs will start creating scenarios that don’t even exist in the first place. You see, we are also the worst-case scenario experts. Not to mention that INFJ empathy goes way beyond just being concerned for a person’s well-being.

We’ll also consider such facts as: how can we help, reach out, or be there for anyone, whenever they need us.

All of this can be incredibly overwhelming and take a huge toll on our mind and body. But despite it all, INFJ empathy is our superpower.

Empathy Is My Greatest Strength

During the past three years, I came across thousands of INFJs asking me how to channel their empathy and safeguard their reservoirs of care. My answer was and still is the same.

We can’t turn our empathy on and off because we’re just wired to feel deeply.

No event or situation can force our emotions to become selective. They’re all-present, and we’ll continue to feel to the max no matter what. But this is why INFJ empathy makes such a meaningful difference.

Have you ever wondered why Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela, who were all INFJs by the way, made such a global impact when it comes to human kindness and understanding?

It’s because they all possessed unlimited empathy. They gave it to everyone, but with one crucial difference.

The word is balance.

Don’t try to contain how you feel when others are in pain. Instead, balance your INFJ empathy by always reserving some for yourself. This way, you can give it to the ones who need it the most, including yourself.

I know INFJs in general don’t like the corporate environment, but I think this great empathy combined with their focus and extreme competency can create a killer combo for a manager, who is not just concentrating on bringing the results but also capable of retaining employees, and in result creating a very effective team or department. And all there is to it, is just empathy.

I think empathy can be a strength and weakness. It is a strength as you go the extra mile when someone is suffering and it is a weakness as you can become too involved and see it as your duty to ‘save’ the person.

I do find empathy to be draining at times because even strangers sense it and feel compelled to bare their soul to me.

But like Viktoria, it has also been incredibly powerful in the workplace. Because I care deeply about my team and my business partners, they are willing to bend over backwards whenever I ask for anything because they know I would do the same.